Boosting Franchise Success: Engaging & Empowering Franchisees with Technology

Having engaged franchisees may be the most crucial factor in the successful growth of any franchise system. In Landmark studies conducted by Franchise Business Review and InGage Consulting, studies reveal that engaged franchisees are 3.7X more profitable than their non-engaged counterparts. Gartner Research has forecast that there will be a 14% growth in the CRM and Operations software market through 2025. But despite these insights, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) reports that nearly 90% of business leaders feel that their tech implementations aren’t driving business growth.

To help you increase franchise engagement, FranConnect invites you to view the recording of this invaluable webinar. We focused on achieving high success rates by adopting and utilizing technology. This is your opportunity to learn from the best in the business about how to ensure effective technology deployments and how to get your franchisees (and team members) onboard with technology.

You’ll Learn:

Proven Strategies for Achieving Engagement: Our expert panelists will share how they achieve remarkable franchisee engagement and increase profitability and growth through their tech solutions.
Successful Technology Adoption: Learn examples of how our panelists deploy their franchise management software effectively while ensuring it truly benefits franchisees and franchisors alike.
The cost of Inaction: You’ll understand the potential downsides of not adopting technology effectively.

The session, moderated by Keith Gerson, CFE, will feature Shelli Perez Lorton, Manager of Franchise Compliance for Rent-A-Center, Shayne Mehringer, CIO for Propelled Brands, and Jaffrey Ali, Chief Product Officer for FranConnect, who will share how they’ve achieved the highest degrees of buy-in and utilization of their tech stacks amongst their franchisees.

Is it worth the effort? As stated in the opening paragraph, engaged franchisees win the day in being more profitable than their counterparts. After all, there is only one way to coast, and that’s downhill.

View the recorded webinar now.

About the Presenters

Shayne Mehringer

Shayne Mehringer, CFE, Chief Information Officer, Propelled Brands

Shayne is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with over 20 years of executive leadership experience. He has a strong background in franchising, IT, business start-ups, and acquisitions. Most recently, he was the Chief Information Officer for Neighborly (formerly The Dwyer Group) for 6 years, overseeing the company’s global technology strategy and digital footprint. He led business transformation, improving program performance and managing risk for Neighborly franchise brands. Shayne also served as president of ZorWare, LLC, a Neighborly company providing technology solutions and support to franchisees.

Shelli Perez Lorton

Shelli Perez Lorton, Manager of Franchise Compliance, Rent-A-Center

With over 25 years in franchising, Shelli is an advocate for seamless interdepartmental communication. Her global brand experience has honed her skills in brand management, legal and business solutions, and relationship building. She is proficient in FDD management, FTC laws, contract drafting, trademark law, product licensing, civil litigation, and bankruptcy.

Jaffrey Ali

Jaffrey Ali, Chief Product Officer, FranConnect

With 20 years of technology product leadership, Jaffrey Ali utilizes lean start-up principles to create highly differentiated product offerings. His work with Red Herring 100 winning firms and Gartner Magic Quadrant leaders has resulted in top-tier VC funding. Jaffrey has a degree in Economics (University of Texas) and a master’s degree in international economics (University of North Carolina).

Keith Gerson

Keith Gerson, CFE, CEO, Gerson Advisory Services

Keith Gerson, CEO of Gerson Advisory Services, brings 50 years of executive level expertise as a passionate and driven consultant, franchisor, and franchisee with a proven track record in building rapid-growth, and highly profitable franchise organizations. Keith established Gerson Advisory Services in January 2024 and previously served as President of Franchise Operations for FranConnect where he was able to work closely with many Executive Boards and Leadership Teams that are part of FranConnect’s portfolio of 1500+ brands and 350,000 locations. His focus is on helping franchisors get to their desired future state in sales, operations, communications, and engagement. Recognized in franchising circles for his extensive leadership experience, and ability to drive execution, Keith is a highly regarded consultant, advisor, and keynote speaker and has had the rare opportunity to create several leading franchise systems from their very conception through launch and sustained growth taking these systems from micro-emerging status to that of successful enterprise-level brands.